female pilot RN
 

evening all have noticed a large part of this forum is pro crab and have been searching for advice on AIB and pilot, the sticky at the top is very OASC based... any pointers in the right direction?

After doing some travelling next year would like to apply to the RN as a pilot but would like to know more.... plenty of people are keen to shoot me down or look at me rather strangely and say 'you what..'?

I will as of june have a degree in International Relations, and absolutley LOVE my contemporary maritime power module that im taking this year (my lecturer is BRNC staff-influential perhaps!). My maths is ok but plan to work on my SDT stuff in the meantime. looked at the AIB indepth on the Navy website saw there were some tests on spatial orientation, non verbal etc anyone have any pointers or what they had to do for theirs? fitness, essay, current affairs are not a major problem. i think my maths is the only aspect im less confident in.

in the interview when they ask why i want to join- i cant turn around and say ive wanted to do this since i was 3 blahblah because i havent. the truth is i love to be challenged, too determined for my own good, would put in a 100% every step of the way and would love to be a part of the team knowing that i am doing something worthwhile- can i say that?? i cant say im the cliche type...suggestions anyone?

Though saying that if they ask how much i want this- im giving up getting married for christs sake and pretty much the end of my relationship for my career, now if thats not committment i dont know what is!! :ooh:

are there any pilots (or female pilots) currently serving that can give me more of an insight in relation to the training/application process than the reading material can?! muchas gracias ;)

I see you live in the SW so the best thing you could do is visit either Culdrose or Yeovilton for a look around and chat. Contact details on RN website under Fleet Air Arm.

Best of luck

When I was your age I wanted to be a test pilot. I made a nuisance of myself until I found somebody who knew the commandant of ETPS socially and so the great man agreed to see me. His first question was "Why do you want to be a test pilot". In the event my answer was good enough to get me to question 2 but my advice to you is to think hard how you would answer such a question.

I believe the "why do you want to be (whatever anyone is applying for)" is the best question you can ask anybody you are thinking of taking on.

Good luck - but in the end it is very important to appear sincere. For most of us the only way to do that is to be ourselves and mean what we say.

Suggest you do exactly as Bismark says then you will meet female pilots and observers. Any of the pilots at 824NAS/771NAS/702NAS/848NAS will all be able to offer advice. I am sure you are aware its a long path to become fully qualified.

To be privileged and good enough to fly from a deck is an awesome experience. Good luck - look forward to meeting you.

''I see you live in the SW so the best thing you could do is visit either Culdrose or Yeovilton for a look around ''

yes although i now live in plymouth my hometown is falmouth, so Culdrose is only up the road, although i thought it was less active(?) than it used to be... would you say yeovilton would be more beneficial??
To arrange visiting bases do you contact them directly or do it through AFCO?

Both Culdrose and Yeovilton are Front Line, fully active air stations. You may find that Yeovilton is slightly busier and has more aircraft though.

You can either arrange to visit via the AFCO or why not write to the Base and they will arrange it.

... love to be challenged ....

Some might think that a bit narcissistic.

too determined for my own good ...

What does that mean?

ME, nothing wrong with either statement and actually both excellent phrases to use at interview leading, as you have picked up, to a question whose answer can be prepared.

... love to be challenged ....

Some might think that a bit narcissistic.


Wouldnt necessarily agree with that at all- think that was completely taken out of context. It was meant in the sense that i like a challenge, like to do something that means i have to push myself


too determined for my own good ...

What does that mean?
and this.. im very stubborn in that i will do what ever it takes generally to prove to the people that think im not good enough wrong. when i want something so bad il work my ass off to get there by giving it a 110%

If I were interviewing,. I wouldn't mind you sounding somewhat brash, even cocky. However, I would hope you avoid saying anything giving the impression you think being in the mil. is any way about YOUR feelings. No statements that sound New Agey or therapeutic, please.

As far as "Love a challenge," the old[er] boy interviewing you might think to himself, 'We'll find out about that, love."

If you said, "I think I can be a good pilot and a good team player, and I deserve a chance to try," that's good.



What sort of aircraft do you want to fly?

Trust me - being female is irrelavant - as it should be.

Nothing to do with gender but whenever this old chestnut pops up they always want to know what you've done about it since realising you'd like to be a (RN) pilot. Flipping through a couple of back issues of Flight International or Cockpit will obviously not get one on the next rung of the ladder. Taking some flying lessons (thereby ensuring your ability to be able to say you really enjoy the flying bit, as opposed to supposing you might), RNAS visits, RN airshows/Navy Day, RN Reserve visits etc are all ways in which you might better convince the AIB that you have given the RN officer and pilot career serious consideration. There are plenty of people that have not always wanted to be a pilot in the forces but had the revelation later in life. The AIB definitely will want to know how the revelation came about and how you've spent your time since.

PS: The verbal reasoning test (used to) have a great section on the use of apostrophes. Mind you, Nelson was the Captain on my AIB :rolleyes:

My guess is that calls to CU and VL on a careers matter will in the first instance be referred back to your local ACLO. Once the ACLO has confirmed your broad eligibility, they should be able to get you a ship visit (about a week, as available) and a place on a Potential Officers Acquaint Course at CU or VL, each of which run about eight a year. The course at VL includes a full run through the dunker.

You are also just within the age range for an FAAOA gliding scholarship course which are run at CU, VL and Lee-on-Solent (near Portsmouth) in the Easter and Summer each year. Well worth it, and will get you free stick time.

Plenty of girls now entering the RN as aircrew, though interestingly more have Observer skills than Pilot, which is opposite to the boys. Get on the PlayStation etc. to hone the hand/eye/brain ability.

Thats cos girls don't have any Hand/eye co-ordination.... and are poor at multi tasking.

Wannabee 87

Somewhat tongue in cheek.

When asked the question as to: "Why do you want to fly with the navy?"
you could of course answer: "If I have to go into battle, I prefer to do it sitting down!"

(As recounted to me by a neighbour who once drove tanks in the Army).

have seen a few posts on here that have said to not put both observer aswell as pilot down if you only want pilot. what if i didnt get pilot would they offer me obs even thought i didnt put it down.

Obs does interest me, just not as much and i want pilot more but given that theres very limited number of spaces for pilot. should i take obs or stick with it in the hope that something might come up??

RN Pilot vs Observer
 

Think carefully about what you really want.

When I applied to the RN I put down both. I'd been in the University Air Squadron and completed EFT with good scores, so hoped they'd take that into consideration, but in the end I was only offered Observer. It was only after I'd entered that I found out that if I'd stuck to my guns and said no to Observer, my scores were easily high enough to be accepted as Pilot, it's just they were desperate for Obs numbers at that point.

That said, I had a great time in Observer Training, best fun I've had in the Navy so far! :ok:

The offer of places is driven by the aptitude scores of the people in the pool, which you enter after passing AIB, and can only stay in for 12 months after passing AIB. Places are offered top down, so if you have one score much higher than the other then it's likely you'll get offered that first. The realistic minimum score for a place is about 130, despite the fact that you only need 112 (I think) to pass.

More pilots are recruited than observers, but more people want to be P than O!

During your year of travel, you will change your outlook on this. Ask yourself whether it is the Navy that you want, or to becone a Pilot. I always wanted to be an RAF pilot, but when the reality of the task ahead set in and facing failure, there was no way I was going to spend years doing a sh#t job in the RAF being barked at.

My point - if you want to fly, do whatever it takes to get there. I spent years telling myself that I wasn't good enough after the careers office rejected me over a poor comp. test - shattering a childhood dream.
After passing my ATPL and flight tests first time, becoming a flying instructor and now Airline Pilot based in London City, I am glad they did. I love my job and recommend flying for a living - civil or mil -to anyone. And civil has many perks too.

Qualifying what A_A said, in my case they were clearly requiring more pilots than navs and were taking acceptable pilot scores ahead of better nav scores.

That was many years ago but more recently, still a long time ago, the same rule applied. The aptitude tests are a good but not foolproof method of selecting aircrew. If you need more pilots than observers then you may indeed have to dip into the observer pot to fill the vacancies and vica versa.

''Ask yourself whether it is the Navy that you want, or to becone a Pilot. I always wanted to be an RAF pilot''

i did look into the RAF a couple of years but by the time id come back from travelling and done the prep i needed to i would be pushing the age limit of 23... thought did also consider WSOp (L) but then after studying naval history and being in plymouth especially- i think a bit of the naval influence has rubbed off on me, also might have something to do with my lecturer! yes defintely something im going to have to consider on my travels but at the moment its almost certainly pilot (and RN)


''My point - if you want to fly, do whatever it takes to get there. I spent years telling myself that I wasn't good enough after the careers office rejected me over a poor comp. test - shattering a childhood dream''

yes, havent got too that point yet nor was it ever a childhood dream but still i have large people telling me im crazy and i'd never do it- hmm great bunch of supporters i have eh :hmm:


one thing thats just occured to me is that i know i want this but on the other hand i have never actually flown anything in my life- there is always the possibility that i may hate it! ha can you imagine.. i cant see it happening myself but you never know! ;)

During your travels, why not try a mix of gliding, fixed wing and heli trial lessons to see. Maybe even an aerobatic trial lesson. Caution - you may get hooked. Shame you didn't find you way to the local Air Cadets in your teens. I ended up in Australia flying PC-9's.
The only people who think it is crazy will never understand why you are drawn to it. Just join the Navy or indeed any of the Forces, for the right reasons. I ended up in the Army Air Corps and hated every minute of it. I couldn't wait to buy myself out. Maybe I am just a civi right the way through, or maybe at 25 when I joined - too old to change and take the crap. And there was plenty of it - I am sure the Navy is far more civilised though.
Just don't think that IFthe Naval Pilot door closes, another 3 doors won't open - because they will if you knock the right way.:ugh::ok:
Photos: Pilatus PC-9A Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net

Photos: Pilatus PC-9A Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net just had a look ;);) nice!

applications...AIB/interview etc
oh just a thought obv in the raf they ask you about different types of aircrafts/differences between etc :}
if your going for pilot in the RN would you have to really know your stuff on both aircraft and ships?

PAPI-74 - did you buy yourself out of the AAC at 25, then go to Pearce to fly PC-9 when the Tucanos broke a few years ago?:confused:

Or did you jump from PC-9 into the AAC? Either way, that's a lot of military flying!

Just wondering if you were on my EFT course at CF in 2000.

Do tell...

You would certainly be expected to know the different classes and capabiltiies of different ships. I would imagine you would need to know the difference between a boat and a ship, a frigate and a destroyer :)

Yep, and they like it if you can use apostrophes correctly too :ok:

ooops bad one on my part should've picked up on that! :)

ahhh come off it you guys! give me a break :p

:E :E

Sorry, couldn't resist it!

at least you don't need a shift key for an apostrophe or full stop.

Union Street - still the same then...:ok:

''Union Street - still the same then...http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/thumbs.gif''

haha oh yes, thought can't say that was the type of influence i was referring to mind! :)

My advice would be to start your application quite soon. As I've said, you have 12 months in the post-AIB pool. If you start now you'll be at AIB in March-April time next year, and you can flex that to fit in with your exams anyway. Assuming, that is, that you get to AIB, as you'll need to pass FATs. If you fail FATs by a smallish margin you have the opportunity to re-take after 12 months.

So plan A would see you pass AIB in April, and then know that you were likely to be offered a start at BRNC in late 2009/Jan 2010. BRNC has entries every term and half term except in June of each year, and if you have good FATs scores (140 and above) then I guess that you can pretty much negotiate your preferred start date. Bear in mind that as a graduate you'll start on £28,000 - another good incentive to get you in there sooner rather than later

Plan B (failing FATs, and re-taking) would obviously defer all that for at least 12 months.

i dont feel 100% prepped and ready and until my exams are over in may, i hardly have time to look at my textbooks these days let alone everything else.. but you think it would be worth starting the ball rolling anyway?

The plan was to go travelling this time next year for 6 months but may cut that down to 3/4 months now. If all goes well and i got AIB/start dates while i was abroad what would happen then, or if they knew i was in a different country they wouldn't ask me to start on those dates? argh i'm really struggling with uni at the mo- im wishing my time away so i can get stuck in with this! :)

Get stuck in. It might be a an incentive to do well at your exams if you have your career in bag and a BRNC start date in your diary..... If you start the learning now you'll know it all in no time at all. Doesn't take much; better than piling it up until the last minute having neglected to learn about ships because you were too busy revising. At least if AIB is out of the way you can really put your all into your exam revision.

Wannabe,

A lot of people I know had not flown anything when they joined up so it is not a bar to progression.
If you really want to become an aviator go for it. Start the ball rolling now-failure at aptitude or AIB stage means a wait of a year before applying again. If the worst should happen use the downtime to address the reasons for failure, and also do your travelling then. The AIB especially will want to know on your second board how you have spent your time since the first one. And if you are successful first time round then yopu will be quickly on to one of the most enjoyable and rewarding careers you will ever enjoy.

One other thing you need to think about before applying:

The RN is an armed force with a lot of people currently deployed in hot sandy unsociable places. Your job may well involve the use of lethal force-how does that sit with you? Think about how you would react to the use of force, as it will certainly come up in the AIB.

Good luck for the future.

CTF

Afternoon

Just want to say that i really appreciate all of the comments, advice etc that iv'e been given on here- i've found every single one of them useful in more ways than you can imagine. It's given me a better sense of understanding in what to expect thats for sure. Please feel free to PM email me whatever with anything you may think i might find useful, i always appreciate it!

Thanks guys :ok::):ok:

oh i just have one more thing i wonder if anyone could help me with... when i looked at going into the raf as aircrew i saw some threads (maybe on tsr?) on migraines which could make you pmu...
i used to have them when i was about 12/13 which they gave me pills for. so with that i went and saw my doctor and had a quick look through my medical history but couldnt see anything of significance... there were hundreds of pages mind. i only had them over that year or so and seemed to grow out of it because have never had them since. i must've only gone to the docs once or twice about them before i had the pills. So it's not like there would be a long string times when i've visited the doctors...

Would i say this at a medical or not?

Tell them, and let them decide. Not telling them, and then being found out is potentially worse. Best part of ten years ago, with no recurrence, I'd say they'll ignore it. You'll get a full EEG at the medical (after AIB).

Pop me yr email address via a PM and I'll send you some helpful stuff for AIB.